September 19th, 2023 marks one year that we moved up here. It feels like we just got here but at the same time it feels like we have been here forever. We are adapting well and still loving it. We got to experience our first summer here and it was great. It was hot, but beautiful. Granted, we were a little busy setting up the house and having a baby at the beginning but we still found time to enjoy it. Mondays are Nick’s day off so we go on an adventure in the morning. We have picked peaches and blueberries, gone on hikes, played at the Vancouver waterfront splash pad many times, gone on lots of walks around our neighborhood, went to the Columbia River beach, searched for more good coffee spots and enjoyed our new beautiful backyard.
Zion is now 21 months old and Olive is 3 months old. Time is flying by and we are getting the hang of being a family of four. Olive is an easy baby and just super chill. She has her loud moments but she loves smiling and being involved in everything. She also is very strong and wants to crawl after her brother!
Zion is a riot and keeps us on our toes. He is really trying to talk now and loves to climb on everything. He is pretty good with his baby sister, always wants to share his food with her, and loves to kiss her head.
We have a pretty good routine that allows Nick to accomplish his work and school stuff. Nick and I workout a few times a week, have family time, and the kids and I hangout and have fun. We love our house and are almost done with little projects, but let’s be real, we will have little projects for the rest of our lives. Nick is on track to finish school this December. He is finishing up editing his dissertation to send it off for edits. His foot has healed and he is back to normal.
We took a trip back to California in July to see my family and attend Nick’s cousin's wedding. It was a great time as usual! Zion got to play with his cousins and everyone got to meet Miss Olive. Trips back to LA are always busy and full of so many get togethers but we love it every time. We flew home at 6am so Nick could be back for Church at 10am. That was a rough flight, and we don’t want to do that again, but we make sacrifices to stay committed to the work God has placed before us. Sadly, the kids and I caught mild colds from the lack of sleep that night but they handled it well. The next day we decided to fly to Idaho to stay with my cousins and have a relaxing few days visiting them and hanging out by the river. It was a great trip and we got to relax a little.
But I’m learning quickly that there is no such thing as vacation, it’s just watching your kids in a different location. However, we want to keep doing it! Nick and I have decided that we never want to not do something because it could be or will be hard. We want to do things with our kids, stay close to family and friends, travel, explore, and enjoy our time together both inside and outside our home.
Sadly August brought on another surgery for Zion. He ended up having a complication a couple months after his last surgery, but the doctor assured us that it was not a failed surgery and this was the most common complication. I cried when I first realized we had to do it again. If you asked me after his first surgery how it went, I usually spoke very positively and expressed what God did through it all and that it really wasn’t that bad. But, once I found out he needed to have another surgery, every negative thought came flooding in about the surgery and week of recovery. Oh how powerful our minds are and how we need to hold every thought captive.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5
Nick tried to not think about it as he had a very hard time the first time around. I had total peace leading up to it. I think it’s because God refined me so much the first time, and it was so hard, but transformation came from it and now I get to see the fruit. And that fruit is being filled with the spirit and having the Lord’s peace wash over me, protecting me and helping me when faced with the same challenge.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7
I was challenged with a little anxiousness the day before and the morning of. However, it all went great. He slept in and we loaded him into the car as soon as he woke up so he didn’t have a chance to ask for food or water. He cried off and on in the car and I think it’s because he was hungry. He was happy once we got there and played in the waiting room. But the moment we got called in, everything made him whine and he wanted to leave. He was saying “No” or “All done” when the doctors or nurses tried to do anything. They gave him some Tylenol and a medication to relax him before they took him away. That was quite funny to watch kick in as he got very relaxed and could barely move. He kept moving his face closer and closer to the phone screen while watching a show and managed to sign “different” so we would change the video. When they came to take him away he said “mama” a few times but no crying or screaming like the first time. Wow, what a way better experience that was as they took him away. We felt so much better heading downstairs to get coffee and wait. Surgery went great and they said he did really well. The doctor feels that the method he chose to fix the complication should be a permanent fix. Zion had a tough time coming out of anesthesia but once we got home and let him watch TV, he felt better. Zion handled it like a champ once again. After the first day we only gave him Tylenol or Motrin if he appeared really uncomfortable. He seemed pretty normal and still ran around and played in the house. He got better at diaper changes as the week went on and slept great minus one night he woke up in pain and had a hard time falling back asleep. We are once again so so thankful for a successful surgery and a good recovery. However, three weeks after his surgery we can see that the surgery was not successful. We are unsure what our options are at this point. The doctor said there is nothing we can do right now and he will take a look at it in a couple weeks. To say we are bummed is an understatement. We are not frustrated or worried just praying for miraculous healing and then wisdom on what we should do once presented with our options. Just sad for Zion at this point, really hoping the Lord will heal him and this is not something he has to deal with his whole life.
I feel like when we first moved up here it was all exciting and I was so busy I didn’t have time to miss people or miss California. But as time has gone on and we have gotten more settled I definitely have had many moments of missing back home. I miss my mom and being able to see her all the time. I miss the rest of my family and it sucks every time I can’t be at a gathering or event. I have random things and moments that spark me missing a specific friend and overall I just miss having a community and close friends that love and support me and point me back towards Jesus. Thank the Lord for FaceTime! That has helped a lot but nothing is ever going to take away that feeling when those moments hit. I know it will get better and I will get more used to it and will make friends here but as many people have told me that will just take time. I have connected with a couple ladies up here and we hangout a couple times a month and stay connected through text. I continue to pray that the Lord will bring us great friends and that we will start to build a community up here.
As we reminisce on the past year we can’t help but say wow. This year has been A LOT. Here are the bullet points to recap….
We moved to a new state only knowing Nick’s parents
Took 3 trips back to California together, one separate trip each, and one trip to Idaho together
Started a church that has been meeting in a house for the past 7 months
Started a men’s and a women’s Bible study
One trip to the ER
Zion had two surgeries
Our entire house came down with an intense case of the stomach flu
Nick broke his foot and was in a boot for 5 months
We had a baby girl
We bought a house and fixed it up and moved in 3 days before having a baby
Nick had his last residency for school and is projected to finish school by December
So much development and changes in Zion this past year, lots of sleepless nights, and new beginnings with a new baby and being a family of four
Is it possible to say this year has been so difficult yet so great at the same time? We feel beyond blessed. We are constantly humbled by the Lord’s calling and gift of this journey but are faced with many challenges that make it not so fun all the time. It’s back and forth and we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus so that we can run this race well. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
I will be posting an update soon about what’s going on at the church, but for now that’s what’s going on with us! We appreciate all the prayers and are constantly looking forward to what God is doing. Especially in the difficult or sad moments.
“In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’”
John 5:17
We love you and appreciate you all! Thank you for coming on this journey with us.
Jess T.
Prayer Requests
That the Lord would bring us some Godly awesome friends
We would keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and run the race well
Everything would go smoothly and Nick will finish school in December
That we would enjoy the process
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